Agent of Chaos
by Silent Dagger
Summary: Stumped on the Kira case, L decides to focus on a new one for a while which involves a figure from his past. After throwing allusions about Kira, L agrees to have his ex-successor return to Japan and help him defeat Kira.
1. Interruption

Silent Dagger: First off I would like to thank L from myspace whom I roleplay with for inspiring the idea

**Silent Dagger: I am not sure if there are going to be any real pairings in this story, we'll have to see as the story goes on whether or not I decide to throw some in there. This story is AU in the sense that some things from the actual story has been changed, luckily fanfictions give you the option to do whatever you want.**

**Chapter One: Interruption**

L gazed at the computer screen, expression unfathomable as dark eyes hardly moved though they took in everything intently. It was no wonder that something like this would eventually occur, L had just been hoping that it wouldn't. Dead ends were troublesome after all and that was what he'd finally run into while working on the Kira Case. It all seemed so confusing. He was sure, absolutely sure that the youth handcuffed to him was Kira, had been the very person he was looking for. Not only had his instincts been screaming at him that this was the case, but there had been evidence as well. Of course, Light Yagami and the rest of the investigation team, had been under the belief that L's suspicions had never gotten over ten percent, truth of the matter was that L had lied to them. His suspicions were actually much higher, more accurately calculated at seventy percent, though he hadn't wanted to frighten Light too badly. Not out of concern or anything of the sort, more that he did not want Light to feel backed into a corner and thus put him more on guard.

That had been before though, and now whenever L looked six feet away from himself to the youth, that certainty he had held wavered for the first time. Light had volunteered to be locked up in a cell in order to prove his innocence because he believed that he was Kira. L had not hesitated during that moment, that confession. He clearly recalled Light asking whether this offer would lower his percentage when they had first met, but he had not made such a bold move as to say he was Kira. However, the entire task force had been there to bear witness to the boy's concerns and L had no choice but to acquiesce to Light's ardent desire to be locked up and under constant surveillance.

That arrogant look never left Light's face. He was much the way Misa Amane had been, silent and brooding. However, Misa's attitude changed randomly at some point and she became her usual talkative self without rhyme or reason. Something very similar happened with Light as well. It was after he admitted defeat, after he decided to cast aside his pride in order to catch Kira. He'd fallen unconscious then and when he awoke, L was observing a different person. It was still Light Yagami, but his morals had changed. He was more like his father, he was a good person.

However, Kira hadn't struck at all, even after this change and L was more concerned about this fact then the fact that Light was different. It was when Kira began killing again that L was subject to an almost foreign emotion; frustration. He was always calm and collected about a case, there was no reason not to be because he knew in the end he would piece together the information and he would win, figure it all out and solve the case. Now though, he felt as if he'd hit a brick wall.

Of course he had to free the younger male because the task force, regrettably, took note of Kira's return. Fifteen long days had passed and finally Light was allowed his freedom, from the cell in any case. L had to make sure, and therefore he'd handcuffed Light to his side so that he could always keep him under his constant watch. Misa Amane had also been freed with limitations. She was kept in headquarters, given her own apartment so that she would not complain too much about it though she was almost useless in her current state. L knew for a fact that she was the Second Kira, or had been in any case. He wondered if that was possible, for these supernatural powers of Kira to be passed from one to the other. But how was such a transfer possible?

"Ryuuzaki?" Light asked, breaking the detective from his meticulous train of thought.

L blinked slowly as he was pulled into the present. He slowly slid his gaze from his computer and allowed them to rest upon Light. The youth was brushing a stray lock of auburn hair from his eyes, unable to let even one immaculate detail disturb his perfect appearance before he continued with whatever it was he wanted to say. Amber eyes locked onto L's without flinching, he was the only person who had ever been able to do that.

"You seem to be deeply troubled by something…is everything all right?" Light finished.

Of course he was deeply troubled. One day he was sure he was speaking with a murderer and now Light was asking what was wrong and the difference between then and now was that Light sounded truly sincere with the detective's well being. There was no longer a spark of animosity between them whenever they laid eyes on the other, a spark unable to be hidden despite both of their obvious control.

"I am fine, Light-kun, as long as Kira continues I will most likely be deeply troubled," L answered truthfully.

In all honesty, he was worse than he appeared. This case was the hardest one he'd ever worked on. Not only that, it was the only one in which he was in any real danger. Previously, L would never get this involved. He would remain hidden away, using proxies and the like to do his work for him because self preservation was the only thing he cared for. He was important to this world and he knew it. A conceited thought perhaps, but L had never tried to deny that he was arrogant.

"Well as long as you are sure…" Light trailed off, the bored expression crossing his features again as he clicked idly at another webpage trying to discern something new. He sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling. "I almost forgot, I have to go and visit Misa soon. I promised that I would today and you know how she is…if I didn't go she'd never let me hear the end of it. I'd rather just get it out of the way so I can continue working."

L frowned inwardly. Misa Amane was becoming more bothersome than she was worth. Light being forced to see her meant that L too would have to suffer through two hours of mindless ranting as Misa went on and on about the most trivial of things. Why did she think that either of them wanted to know the latest news in the modeling world? Neither of them cared for that sort of thing.

"Very well, shall we get this over with now?" L asked, deciding that he would just get lost in thought for the next couple of hours while Misa swooned over Light.

Light grimaced as if facing his death and nodded and slowly stood up, stretching briefly and waiting for L to stand as well. The detective stood and led the way out of the main room and up the stairs.

* * *

"…Misa Misa is so jealous of Kasumi right now! She just got cast into a major role that was supposed to be for Misa but Misa can't do it because _someone_ won't let her leave long enough to stay on the set!" Misa complained, throwing L a nasty look that he did not take note of.

Light was only nodding and adding noncommittal 'yeahs' and 'mmhmms' whenever Misa took in a breath of air. Meanwhile, though the detective sat on the couch next to Light he was far away. He was considering things from all angles. Did he miss something? Was there any mistakes made? He frowned to himself. Yes, probably many, more than he'd like to know about, but he could work around mistakes. Eventually a new lead would be picked up and he would be able to find Kira, though his heart wasn't in it as much as before.

"Ryuuuuuuzaki!" Misa said loudly.

L let the frown show on his face as he finally lifted his eyes to meet Misa's. "Yes?" he asked, voice still controlled and emotionless.

"I saaaaid, don't you think it would be all right if you _uncuffed_ my boyfriend and let us have a little alone time?" Misa asked, batting her eyelashes as if this would persuade the stoic detective.

"No it would not," L answered simply.

"Why?" Misa whined.

"Misa, please," Light sighed. "You know he cannot do that. The only way we will be cleared of suspicion completely is if we just follow Ryuuzaki's plan. I am sure he will release us when he is sure."

L could hear some of the resentment in Light's voice at the statement, but he could not blame the youth. It must be very irritating to be watched daily, especially by someone like himself, cold and uncaring of any discomfort he was causing. Misa sighed dejectedly and sat back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other and she pouted at them both.

"It's no fun with an audience," she complained.

"Please be quiet, Amane-san," L replied.

"Why should I? This is my apartment isn't it and it's _our_ date," she said throwing Light a significant look that he promptly ignored. "It's natural for me to want to be alone with him and not have a….well, _you_ sitting here too."

"I'd still be watching even if I wasn't in the room," L replied dully indicating the camera in the room.

Misa muttered something that distinctly sounded like 'pervert' before looking away from them both with an annoyed expression on her pretty face. An awkward silence fell over the three of them and Light passed the time by glancing at his watch.

"Well, it's been fun Misa," he said. "But I really think we should go back to work now, there is a lot to do."

Misa looked back at him instantly. "Light is leaving his Misa?" she wailed. "But it's only been an hour!"

"Yes well, Kira is still out there," Light pointed out, standing up and inadvertently tugging on the chain that bound him to the detective. He glanced at L and looked at him meaningfully, obviously keen on escaping the blonde's presence. "Right, Ryuuzaki?"

"Unfortunately," L agreed, also standing and making his way to the door.

"Wait!" Misa cried, flinging herself into Light's arms and giving him an overly dramatic hug as if she would never see him again. Light sighed and wrapped his arms about her briefly before L saved him by dragging him out of the room.

They were silent until they reached the elevator that would bring them back downstairs to the investigation room. Light broke the silence by sighing loudly and running a hand through his neat hair.

"Those 'dates' are always a nightmare," he said.

"Why do you date Amane-san if you do not care for her?" L asked.

"Well, like I said, it's more one-sided, love at first sight for her, but I just don't feel the same way," Light explained.

"Again, why do you date her?" L repeated.

"I guess I'd feel a bit guilty if I just dumped her out of nowhere, Ryuuzaki, breaking up with her is going to have to be a long drawn out affair, I'm sure."

"Huh, I guess I am just inexperienced when it comes to that sort of thing," L admitted.

"Well if I was like you I wouldn't think twice about telling her how I really feel," Light said, his tone inflected to show that he was simply teasing the detective now.

"I suppose," L mused.

* * *

The remainder of the day passed uneventfully. It put L in less than a good mood, his expression darkening slightly at the unchanged status of the case. They were no closer to catching Kira than when he first started. He sent the investigation home and then trudged up the stairs to the bedroom he shared with Light. He could tell the teenager was exhausted, but he was determined to find _something_ so that the day would not be a total waste. He had his laptop, Light had long learned to sleep through the clacking of his keys as he worked so he was not worried about disturbing the boy, a thought that hardly crossed his mind anyway as solving the case was more a priority than Light's sleep.

It was late, past two in the morning when a soft beep informed L that he had a new email. He figured that it was probably Watari, hopefully with some new information though he wouldn't be surprised if the elderly man had nothing interesting to write about. He blinked when he realized it was not Watari at all, but rather it was Roger from Wammy's. He frowned, what could have happened there? He hoped nothing had happened to his successors, he had high hopes for three of them, two in particular.

He opened the email and read through it three times before his mind was willing to accept it. It was to do with his successors, or to be more exact, his ex-successor. Before the others had started coming in there had been two. A and B. A had broken under the strain of it all and claimed his own life while B, B had become something much different. A criminal, a murderer. His desperate plea for L's attention had led L on a case two years prior to the Kira Case in Los Angeles. The man had attempted to end his life by fire, killing himself without L knowing and leaving the detective chasing a phantom long after B was gone.

B, Ryuuzaki, Backup. It had to be him, or someone working under his influence. The email from Roger described similar crimes happening back in America, in the same area in which B had been confined for life in a high level security prison. All the people being murdered carried a similar trait; their initials were either B.B. or Q.Q. just like the original case involving B. So then, had B somehow managed to escape jail and resumed his killing in order to catch L's attention again? Or was some sick, new serial killer hoping to gain fame by continuing where B left off?

It was highly disturbing and it could not have come at a worse time. Roger expressed knowledge that he knew how busy L must have been with the current case but asked him to look into this matter if he had time. Well, Kira seemed to be out of his reach for now, but it would be foolish to simply pack up and work on a new case. L was known for working on several cases at once, but it would be risky to take two that were in such different locations globally. Besides, the Kira Case was his biggest by far and if this wasn't B, but some mere copycat, he'd hate to waste the time on him. However, if the police were unable to track this murderer, he was either being extremely careful or it was his ex-successor reemerging.

L closed his eyes for a moment, hoping to gather his thoughts before they brought him in endless circles. The decision was simple, either pursue this new case along with the Kira Case or forget it all together. L only took cases that interested him, and despite himself he was interested in what was happening in Arizona at the present time. He frowned, looking back on the memories stored away of his successor. B had always been different, not the ideal person for a successor. He'd always been dark and it was clear to see he was disturbed mentally, but that had been bypassed by his amazing potential.

L had seen B a grand total of three times in his life. He saw him when the younger man had been brought into Wammy's, he saw him three years before he left the orphanage, when it was clear that B's obsession with him had taken over because he'd caught B mussing up his hair to copy L's and the third time he saw him was when he returned to Wammy's briefly. He knew that time that B had been a mistake and he was ashamed of such a failure. After that, B had disappeared and resurfaced in Los Angeles, but L hadn't seen him at all during that case, he only had Naomi Misora's descriptions of him to know how he had turned out.

And now B might have been back and it was all L could do to contain the warring emotions within him. He wanted to take on this case, but he could not avert his attention from Kira, not for one second, and yet Kira seemed different in the same sense that Light seemed different, his morals seemed to have changed slightly, and his pattern of killing was far different, leaving L wondering if it was the same person or not. Maybe Light _had_ been Kira and wasn't anymore, but L could not be sure if such a thing was possible or not.

L opened his eyes staring at the email for an immeasurable amount of time before he finally responded that he would look into it. The best thing to do was to be sure whether it was B behind things or not and in order to do that, he would have to go to him. He could take the time to fly to Arizona and just speak with him. If it turned out B had nothing to do with it, L would probably leave it up to the police in the near vicinity. His major concern was Light. He did not want to expose the boy to B, that would put his life in jeopardy, nor could he leave him here or else all this surveillance was for nothing. He sighed. He would have to bring Light with him and simply tell him to stay behind when they neared the actual cell, he was sure the guards would be capable of keeping an eye out during the brief visit for L did not intend to stay there long.

Decision made, L shut down his laptop and placed it on the bed-side table next to him before sighing heavily and sitting in the dark, mulling things over in his mind. He hated interruptions, but he knew if he had left this alone, he would be berating himself endlessly over it. It was too important to pass by.

* * *

"Light-kun, I must speak to you about something before we head down to the others," L said when Light opened his eyes.

The teenager yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before sitting up, giving L a rather flat stare. Clearly he didn't appreciate such serious tones this early in the morning, but he was silent, waiting for L to continue.

"Something important has come up, it is vital that I don't overlook this," L continued evasively.

"Something about the Kira Case?" Light prompted.

"Well, no, actually it has nothing to do with the Kira Case," L admitted.

Light lofted a slender brow, clearly interested now. L could not blame him, he had never expressed interest in anything but Kira in the time he had known Light. He sighed, he knew this would not go over well. "Unfortunately I cannot give you all the details, however, it does require our presence somewhere else for a few days."

A muscle tightened in Light's jaw at being left clueless, but he controlled his obvious irritation and managed to keep his voice polite. "Where would that be?" he asked.

"Arizona," L answered.

Silence…

"You…want to go to Arizona at a time like this?" Light asked incredulously.

"I do not want to go at all, however, as I said it is an important matter and it must be done," L said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Light asked, though it was clear by his tone that he knew exactly why he was being informed.

L held up his right hand, raising the chain of the handcuffs. "Where I go, you go," he reminded him. "Unfortunately I cannot risk leaving you behind and so you shall just have to bear with me and come along."

Light's face flushed in obvious anger. "I can't go to Arizona right now, Ryuuzaki!" he exclaimed. "You're asking for too much. I want to remain here and capture Kira, not go off on some random adventure with you."

"I would hardly classify it as an 'adventure', Light-kun," L frowned.

"I don't care what you want to call it, I refuse to go," Light snapped, folding his arms across his chest.

"You do not really have a choice, Light-kun," L said, his voice remaining calm in the face of Light's aggravation. "I was simply keeping you informed."

"What about the Kira Case?" Light demanded.

"I have faith that Watari and Yagami-san can handle things for a few days," L answered easily.

"And you won't give me any idea on why we're going across the world?" Light grumbled.

"You do not need to know," L said. "Just think of it as a break."

"Oh that is just what I want, to take a vacation with you to America," Light said, rolling his eyes.

"Please do not make this any more difficult than it already is, as I mentioned previously, I do not want to do this either," L said.

Light gave him an acidic look but he did not argue further. L sighed to himself. Well that was one down, he still had to tell the entire task force and he was sure they would try and convince him to let Light stay and that they would watch over him with vigilance, but L knew better. Half the task force believed Light was innocent, they would not be watching nearly as closely as he could. He was right to believe they would put up a fight about it. However, he used all the authority his title gave him and in the end they were forced to accept what was going to happen no matter what and the day passed much as it had yesterday with them all working diligently, hoping to find something of use.

* * *

Because he was L they were able to get a plane the following day. It was an expensive plane, large and able to commute a lot of people across the sea, but L had requested that only he and Light be the passengers for this flight and so they had the entire thing to themselves. Light grumbled and complained the whole way to the airport and even as they boarded the empty plane. He sat by the window and stared out of the tiny, circular pane as they lifted off from the ground. L concentrated on keeping his breathing even, he really detested flying, he much preferred his feet to be on firm ground and he was almost relieved that Light's sullen attitude kept the youth from noticing his disquiet.

It took them many hours to reach Phoenix. Light had fallen asleep twice, jerking awake both times and looking around before falling into his bad mood at realizing he hadn't been dreaming the entire thing. L ignored his irritation and simply led the way out of the plane, ignoring the looks the pilots gave him as he exited with Light in tow. When they arrived, a car was waiting for them. L knew that it would be someone trusted by both Roger and Watari, though that did not mean that L would put all his faith in him right away.

The driver was a young man, no older than thirty, with strawberry blonde hair that was combed back neatly and a light, shadowy beard covering his lower face. He was wearing a clean-cut business suit and when he spotted them he walked over to them briskly, not wasting any time. L had to admit that he was pleased with that in any case.

"My name is William Dunn," he said. "I have been working with Roger for five years now and I will be the one taking you to your desired location."

"Thank you," L said simply, though it was not entirely sincere but apparently William had been expecting his rudeness for he only nodded and opened the door for L and Light.

"Are you always so rude?" Light asked, sounding slightly horrified.

"I find no reason to be overly polite," L answered softly.

"Ever tried just being polite?" Light muttered. "It may not hurt you know, a little kindness is always more appreciated than rudeness."

"I do not believe I need a lesson in manners from you, Light-kun," L replied.

Light decided to just ignore the detective for the remainder of the ride. L could tell the youth was burning with curiosity on where they were going as they left the city behind them and headed out into the open. L was not sure how the boy was going to handle being taken to such a place. The prison was the highest security prison; the people inhabiting it were the worse of the worse. Would he think that L was simply trying another means to get him to admit to being Kira? The idea was actually one that hadn't crossed his mind before now but since he had thought of it, he decided to keep it in mind.

"Ryuuzaki…why are we going here?" Light asked, too shocked to remember that he was ignoring the detective.

"Because I have business with one of the inmates," L replied.

"You're not going to tell me anything, are you?" Light groaned.

"Not yet," L agreed.

Light was fidgety when they entered the prison. L did not add this to his percentage of being Kira; he knew that the boy would not be comfortable. The guards all looked menacing and they were all armed and tense, as if ready to grab their gun at a moment's notice. William had already spoken with the warden and they were heading to his office now, being led by a silent sentinel of a guard who had not spoken a word since they had arrived.

The warden's office was large but it was not well furnished. There was a simple oak desk where the warden was seated. On one wall was a towering bookcase but only the first two shelves held books while the others were cluttered with random items that L did not find the need to identify. He slouched up to the desk and looked at the warden, who stood from his chair when they entered. He was a big man, his gut protruded past his belt and the buttons of his shirt strained to keep the fabric closed around his barrel-like chest.

"Ryuuzaki?" he asked, looking L up and down, disapproval coloring his expression.

"Yes," L answered, switching from Japanese to English without a moment's pause. He indicated Light. "This is Eric Mae, I believe Mr. Dunn has already explained the circumstances…"

"Yes he did," the warden said coolly. "We'll keep an eye on him."

"Wait, Ryuuzaki!" Light protested, catching on quickly and speaking in English, his voice clearly accented with his native language. "You're just going to leave me here?"

"It is for your safety, Eric," L replied.

Light glanced at the menacing guards and the warden. "I do not wish to be left in the dark," he growled. "I have to endure this trip; I should know the reason why."

"I will tell you later perhaps," L said. "If you do not hound me about it."

Light narrowed his eyes but said no more. L was satisfied that he had won this round and he unlocked the cold metal cuff from his wrist and handed it to William. The man nodded uneasily and clapped it around his own wrist, obviously not too comfortable being handcuffed to a total stranger who was almost half his age.

"Come with me," the warden said gruffly, pushing past them all and leaving his office.

L followed him alone, heading down long, dark corridors lined with heavy doors, the only visible look into the cells was a narrow slit in the door and most of them were locked shut. There were a few open and as they passed, overly bright eyes flitted to the opening, following the two of them hungrily as they continued onward.

"He's in the highest security cell, as requested," the warden explained. "However, since there is absolutely no way to speak to him there we moved him to the visitor's cell. He is properly detained; the glass is bullet-proof."

"I understand," L replied. "Did Mr. Dunn describe my prerequisites?"

"No cameras, no bugs, nothing, you need this completely confidential," the warden mumbled. He did not like the idea; L could read this in both his expression and his voice.

"Correct," he said.

"It's foolish," the warden said. "He's unpredictable…though, I suppose it's obvious that you two know each other…" he looked again at L's appearance and L realized that even now B must be imitating him.

They reached the end of a long hallway and stopped a few feet away from where L could see light reflecting off of glass.

"There's an emergency button on the wall opposite the cell…in case anything bad happens, he's been informed that he has a visitor, you're the only one he's ever had, so maybe that will put him on his best behavior…" the warden explained.

"Thank you," L said, more as a dismissal than anything else. The warden said nothing, he only started making his way back the way they came. L already knew that B would be waiting for him, he knew that B was aware of who his visitor was. Who else knew of him? Naomi of course, but she had disappeared thanks to Kira and so the only person who would ever come to see B was L, and indeed, here he stood, a few feet away from his ex-successor.

L was never nervous, but now that he was here he felt the pace of his heart increase slightly and he balled his hands into fists unconsciously for a moment, taking a few deep breaths and steadying his nerves, knowing that no matter how long he stood here, the shock of seeing B would fill him initially and no amount of mental preparation would dissipate it.

He walked the rest of the way down the hall until he was standing in view of the glass. A chair had been placed for his convenience, and he noticed that it was quite far away from the actual glass. He frowned, he knew B would not get pass the glass, he was safe, though he hated putting his life in any danger and just being near this madman was doing that.

He was right, of course, about B knowing it was him. As his eyes adjusted to the poor light, he saw him, sitting on a chair in the same perch that he himself resumed whenever seated. A thumb had been idling by his mouth, teeth gnawing absently at it as he waited. When he saw him, red eyes seemed to light up in hellish fire and a twisted smile stretch the faint scars on his face, the only sign of his attempted suicide.

"Hello."

L was shocked at how polite his voice was, how measured and controlled, he was sure that his voice would be hoarse, rough and menacing. It sounded playful and almost joyous, as if B was truly happy to have a visitor, but L knew there was so much more lurking under that tone, so much more hidden behind that frozen grin. He said nothing, he wasn't sure what to say, now that he was here, he was unsure. If B was in here, then he wasn't the one killing people and now L was stuck. He could always walk away then and there, but he still had to know whether B was involved or not and negotiating that information from this man would be a tedious job.

A disturbingly loud crack filled the air and L realized that B had just cracked his neck. He was now working on his back, twisting in his chair until it too cracked loudly in the still air. L frowned to himself. B had always been like this, he'd always been able to disturb the detective greatly.

"It's good to see you again," B added when L said nothing. He canted his head to the side. "Though you are being exceptionally rude, I am not an animal in a zoo exhibit, Lawliet, I believe you came here for something since I know you didn't come to just visit."

The shock of hearing his name so candidly made L's shoulders stiffen and he regarded his doppelganger disapprovingly. He had always suspected that B somehow knew his name, though it was never a sure thing. In one of their brief interactions at Wammy's he had thought he heard the other muttering 'Lawli' under his breath but he had pushed it to the back of his mind, deciding that he had been hearing things and that B was muttering something else. Now faced with the obvious truth, L found curiosity sinking into him. How did B know his name? L had certainly never given it to him and there were no files in Wammy's with his actual name printed on them. The only other person who knew it was Watari, not even Roger was aware of it. He almost wanted to ask, but he could not let B lead this discussion, he could not show his interest otherwise B would just play with him and nothing would be done.

"Do not speak my name," he said coldly.

"Still so paranoid," B sighed wistfully. "I already heard about what you asked for. There are no cameras; no one will hear me say it anyway. And you've such a pretty name, it's a pity you never liked hearing it."

"Regardless, I would rather not hear you say it," L replied. He pulled the chair closer to the glass, to show that he wasn't afraid. Truth be told, it was not fear that he felt when he was with B. He was aware of the danger this other man represented, but he also knew that he was B's greatest weakness. He could probably stop the other with words alone if he so chose, could break the other with one cold thought, but he would not unless it was absolutely necessary.

He settled himself on the chair in his usual fashion, though he kept his hands resting on his knees though he longed to fill the stretching silence by nibbling at his thumb, but B still had his raised and he refused to add to their similarities. As if sensing this, B smirked and lowered his hands, placing them on his knees as well in perfect imitation of his predecessor. L frowned at the obvious taunt, but said nothing on it.

"I believe you know why I am here," L said.

"Not a clue," B teased.

"I need to know about the murders happening around here," L continued as if B had not spoken.

"Hmmm," was all B replied.

"Whoever is doing it is copying you," L prompted, feeling slightly annoyed with B's lack of participation though he hid this emotion flawlessly.

"That is where you are wrong," B whispered. He grinned, leaning forward in his chair slightly, the dim lights illuminating his pale complexion. "They can't copy me; no one can…except maybe Kira."

L blinked. He had not expected B to bring up Kira. If he knew B as well as he thought he did, then B would hate Kira for gaining L's attention so fully. To hear him speak of him with no venom in his voice came as a surprise. Not only that, it filled L with the desire to know more. What could B possibly know about Kira that L did not? The possibilities of this visit came bearing down on him. If B did know, if he was capable of finding Kira and stopping him…would L really go so far as to recruit him to his cause?

"You believe it is impossible for another to simply find people with the initials B.B. or Q.Q. and kill them?" L asked, being pointedly oblivious so that he could learn more without specifically asking.

B scoffed and shook his head. "Give me more credit than that, L," he spat the alias. "I did not simply grab a phone book and check off these names, which is probably what this bastard is doing."

Well that was one question answered. B had nothing to do with this copycat, it was obvious that he was not impressed by him and even felt vindictive towards him. L could not sympathize; B was being hypocritical if he was annoyed with the fact that someone was mimicking him. After all, B had spent his life attaining the appearance and personality of his predecessor. Now that he knew that he would make no mention of ever associating B with these murders, he knew B was incredibly smart; he could twist such a situation into his favor. But there were still several things that L needed to know.

"Well, there are other means to finding names," L said vaguely.

B smirked. "Yes, and I did not use any of the ones you are thinking about," he said, catching on to his advantage. "You have no idea how I chose those people, but you are dying to know, your disinterest tells me that more than if you had simply asked."

L frowned, he hated situations like this. "Maybe so," was all he said.

B cackled wildly and leaned back in his chair, blood red eyes traveling peculiarly to the spot above L's head. He seemed to see something he did not like and L had to resist looking up as well. When B's eyes focused on him again, they were almost filled with regret, though he said nothing about his odd behavior.

"Will you tell me?" L asked, hating the fact that he had to rely on this failure.

"Why should I?" B replied smugly.

"I am sure I can arrange some benefits for you if you cooperate," L said.

"Benefits…the only benefit you could possibly give me, L, is freedom," B said.

L's expression hardened. "You know that is impossible, B," he replied. "I can not trade one killer for another, especially when I know that you are more dangerous."

"Was that a compliment?" B snickered.

L frowned, not in the mood to play this game at all. "Request something more reasonable and I am sure it can be done."

"How about a transfer?" B asked. "This place bores me. I thought it was filled with the worst people in America, but they are all afraid of me, it is no fun when everyone stays away from you."

Which made B the most dangerous person in the United States, but somehow this revelation did not surprise L. He had seen signs of this ever since he had met B and though he could never predict that B would turn out this way, he knew that he had fallen completely and there was nothing that would stop him and he would never feel remorse for his actions.

"I could work on getting you a transfer then, though it would be another high security prison," L said.

"That is fine, how about England?" B asked.

He was taunting L again. Of course he would request England, the country in which they met for the first time, the country in which all of this had started. L wasn't sure where B came from exactly, he'd been found wandering the streets before he was brought back to Wammy's and the boy could not remember where it was he came from. Therefore, his beginning, his roots, where in England. If he had never been found, this probably would never have happened. B would have been better off if he had never met L, if he had been taken in to a good foster home where his dark intentions could be watched over with love and kindness and not oppressed by such an arduous task of becoming the world's greatest detective.

"If that is what you wish, then it shall be so," L said simply, keeping the irritation out of his voice.

"Excellent, I am looking forward to that," B said thoughtfully.

"Understand that this transfer is only going to be done if you cooperate," L pointed out. B gave him a wry stare which clearly stated that he knew this already. "How did you choose your victims?"

"By their initials," B said doggedly.

"How did you find them if you did not use the conventional methods?" L continued without pause.

"Because I have something that no one else has," B said.

"And what would that be?" L asked, unconsciously leaning a bit closer in his chair. B was drawing this out as long as he could, but L had expected such behavior so he tried not to let it irk him too much.

"It's a secret," B finished lazily.

L frowned heavily. "This is not helping your cause," he glowered.

"I know," B said simply, smiling innocently at the detective.

"Very well," L replied, standing up. "This is useless; I cannot waste any more time with you."

That had the effect that he had been hoping for, though he was not expecting it to be of such magnitude. B had stood with him and in response to L's cold comment, he had picked up the chair he'd previously been sitting on and threw it at the glass. The glass shook in protest but held strong. L froze in his footsteps. He'd been wondering when this would happen, when B's composure would finally crack and he'd react violently. B was, despite his cleverness, predictable in many ways.

"Do not call me useless," B snarled. "Do not associate me to something so pitiful!"

L remained calm. "Then answer my questions and I will take back that comment," he replied.

B stalked up the glass, kicking the chair out of his way and pressing his palms up against it like a caged animal. He smirked, though it was clear by his eyes that he was still very angry.

"Look at us, Lawliet," he said, subtly going back to L's real name, no doubt looking to even the score. "I may be locked away, but in reality, you're no better off than I am…at least I'm going to live longer than you."

L blinked and looked at him with unmasked puzzlement upon his features. What on earth did that mean? No, he would not let B get under his skin. The other was probably just trying to get a rise out of him, or threatening him. Either way, L would not fall for his tricks. Then again, B was doing that curious thing again where his eyes were locked above L's head rather than on his face. He quickly composed his face as those red eyes traveled back to his charcoal black ones.

"What do you have that no one else does, B?" L asked.

B did not answer, a slow smile simply lifted his lips and he continued to stare directly into L's eyes. So then, it appeared as though Light was not the only one capable of holding his discernable gaze.

"If you refuse to tell me then I will leave immediately," L frowned.

B sighed and walked away from the glass, righting his chair and sitting in it again, looking completely calm again. His endless mood swings were what made him so dangerous. At times he could be more civil than L, more loquacious than any scholar, deeper than any philosopher, but it could quickly change into something more like a feral animal, a deranged killer, and words were unnecessary as he let his actions control him. L said nothing, he was not going to continue asking B, he would give him three minutes and then he would just walk away.

B said nothing until two minutes and fifty three seconds had passed. "Ask me something else first," he said.

L sighed. Well, if that was what it took to get what he wanted he would do so. He refused to let B get the better of him, and though he hated having to give in to B's requests, he decided upon a different question.

"You mentioned Kira before," he began, "why?"

"Clever, clever L," B chuckled. "Leave it to you to inadvertently ask the question connected to your first."

L tilted his head to the side, curious now. What could possibly connect B with Kira? He was sure the two were completely unrelated.

B sighed. "Kira and I are alike…well no, that is generalizing," he spoke slowly, lazily. "I am more alike to the Second Kira…fortunately for me; the guards do not deny me news anymore as I tend to be a bit…difficult when I do not receive what I want."

L decided not to ask what B did in order to get his news. Prisons like these, well, B must have done something very bad if the guards gave in to his demands. But he would think on that later, if at all, he had to really consider what B had just told him. He was like the second Kira? The only thing he could connect was that the Second Kira could kill with just a face…just a face. He looked back on what the Second Kira had said on the television.

Shinigami, something about Shinigami…but L did not believe that that was possible and Light had concluded that this Kira must have been speaking of what the Kiras were using to kill people, some sort of code. But then how was B aware of this code? His brow furrowed as he tried to think things through.

"Careful L, I've never seen you look so frustrated before," B whispered and his voice was filled with delight, clearly enjoying L's puzzled expression.

"Do not interrupt me," L chastised.

"Very well, but you'll never guess it," B shrugged.

L sighed heavily, B was probably correct about that. He allowed his gaze to fall about his failed successor. "Tell me," he said softly.

"I have conditions," B replied.

L frowned. "What are they?" he asked.

"First I want to help catch this idiot copying me and kill him…second, I want to go back to Japan with you and catch Kira and punish him for taking up so much of your time," B sneered.

L blinked. He couldn't be serious. "No," he said quickly.

B held up a finger in an infuriating gesture to silence L. The nerve of him! L wanted to storm off then and there, but he was anxious to know what B knew. "Think it through carefully Lawli," he said. "You give me this and I'll give you everything you need to capture Kira. You've been working on this case for months with nothing to show for it. With me there, you'll be finished in no time."

"Why do you want to help me?" L asked.

B's expression darkened. "It is not to help you; I just want to be there when Kira is caught. It's not that I hate what he is doing, I just hate that you're involved. You're mine to toy with after all."

L glared at him for that one but B only smiled. "You honestly think I can trust you enough to have you work by my side?" he snapped.

"Well no, obviously not," B chuckled. "I imagine you can take precautions."

"And what of the person here in Arizona?" L asked. "You really want me to spend the time here capturing him with you?"

B considered this. "Hmm, no, I imagine that he'll make a mistake soon. He's not doing it the same way I am after all so it's much more difficult for him. He's not as smart as he appears either. I would guess he has an accomplice who will undoubtedly ruin him before long. Leave it to the police; I can live without murdering this idiot."

L narrowed his eyes. "You will not be killing anyone," he said coldly.

B shrugged as if this did not irk him and smiled again. "Do we have a deal?" he asked.

"As soon as this case is over you will be detained properly again," L said.

"Obviously."

"You will be kept under constant surveillance and you'll not be given the freedom to move about."

"I figured as much, dear L."

L frowned inwardly. He did not want to do this, but maybe this was what he had needed for this case. He did not think B was lying to him about this connection he shared with Kira, something about the way in which he spoke made him feel that he was being honest. However, the fact remained that if he agreed to this, B would be close to him. He could keep him in the cell where Light had remained, but it wasn't as secure as the cells here. He would be handcuffed naturally, but even without his hands, B was deadly. Doing this was putting everyone in severe danger, but at the same time, if B was able to locate Kira quickly, Kira could be arrested and B could be sent away, getting rid of both dangers at once. He did not like this idea, but he could see the positive aspects of it as well.

"Very well, you may help with the Kira Case," he said heavily.


	2. Return

**Silent Dagger: Yes I know it seems incredibly unrealistic that L would accept B's help, but if you think about it, L is not a good person, he would go so far as to use B in order to capture Kira. I'm not setting out to make him look like some beacon of light; none of the characters in this story are good.**

**Chapter Two: Return**

Of course this entire situation was going to cause a lot of problems for L. For one he had to speak with the warden about getting B released, then he had to think of any precautions he could possibly make in order to keep B from murdering him on the way back. He decided that B would be completely compromised and would travel in the coach section of the plane while L and Light remained in first class. These thoughts were whirling through his head as he made his way back to the warden's office. The warden was sitting at his desk while Light and William were standing as far away from each other as the chain would allow. There was imminent relief in William's blue eyes when L returned and he held out his wrist expectantly.

"Just a moment," L told him dryly.

Light looked at him curiously, obviously picking up on his distress though he wisely kept his mouth shut for the time being.

"I have to speak with you…and you all may stay as it affects each of you," L sighed. "I need to take the prisoner with me to Japan to help with the Kira Case."

The warden looked at him as if he was insane and then he shook his head. "You're working with L?" he asked.

"I am L," L replied, having previously decided that he would only get this request if he told the warden that much, besides, Light and William were already aware of the fact and he was sure that telling one more person would not put him in any more danger than he was already in. The warden was still wrapping his mind around the fact that the world's greatest detective was standing in front of him.

"But you're so _young_," he complained.

L frowned at him and the man shut up his useless babbling and composed himself again, clearly getting back to the matter at hand. "It is impossible to release that man, I was told to never let him go."

"That was on my orders," L pointed out, stumping the older man. "And my orders now are as follows: B will return with me, Eric and William to Japan, afterwards he will be sent to the high security prison outside of Liverpool, England."

The warden struggled to think of an argument, but L was giving him a fierce look and he let the words die before they even came out. He sighed. "How do you want to transport him?" he asked instead.

"He will need to be properly secured, no use of his hands or legs, and it would be best if he were unable to see the faces of my two companions," L explained. He could tell William wanted to ask why he was going to Japan as well and it wasn't really him he was concerned about. He did not want Light exposed to B, not at all, but the ride to the airport was unavoidable.

"Very well, shall we sedate him?" the warden asked.

"If it is necessary," L conceded and the warden left, grabbing a walkie talkie for back up. Once he was gone, the other two rounded on him.

"What is going on, Ryuuzaki?" Light demanded at the same time William complained about having to go in the first place.

"The inmate returning with us should be able to help with the Kira investigation," L explained, deciding to answer Light first. "There is something special about him that he will reveal in time. As for your presence, you are going to be in charge of him, Mr. Dunn, just making sure he doesn't hurt himself while in custody. I am sure you have been informed about him through Roger and I'd rather not lay the duty on Light," he finished, deciding on using Light's real name since William already knew it.

Light glowered at him. "You're bringing a prisoner from _here_ back with us?" he demanded. "And his name is B? Sorry, but that's too close for a coincidence. What does he have to do with you?"

L nibbled at his thumb. "He is a figure from my past, but now is not the place to tell you that story," L replied. "I ask that you try not to talk to him while on the way back to Phoenix, he is highly dangerous and very perceptive, the less he knows about you the better."

He could tell that Light was a bit apprehensive about this. Truth be told, L was too. Even if B was sedated and chained up, he could undoubtedly find a way to make them all uncomfortable.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, B was being led down the hall by six guards while the warden was nursing a broken nose. L just stared at him for a minute and then sighed, turning his gaze to B; he was obviously sedated by the way he was being supported. His arms were tied behind his back and his ankles were bound by a short chain. As per L's request, a thick blindfold covered his disconcerting eyes. L chanced a glance at Light and saw that he was fidgeting again, both curious and repulsed by the man being led closer to them.

"Are you all right?" L asked when the warden stopped before them, the guards leading B outside to the car.

"No, the bastard shattered my nose!" the man complained, reaching over to the phone on his desk to call the ambulance.

L shrugged and turned back to Light and William. He'd already replaced the manacle around his own wrist and he nodded to them both simply to let them know that it was time to head out to the car. Light followed grudgingly, William just looked terrified after witnessing the violence of his charge.

They were using a limo to get back to the airport, not for any show of power, simply because of the space it provided. L sat himself across from B, Light sitting next to him and William sliding in after Light. Two guards were sitting on the seat with B, ready to grab him in case he made any sudden movements. When the car's engine purred into life, B lifted his face and L swore he could feel his gaze through the blindfold.

"L…there's a lot of people in here," he whispered. His voice was slow, slightly slurred from the sedative still coursing through him. L hoped that he did not slip and use his real name, especially in Light's presence.

"Yes," L replied.

"Do you travel with an entourage now?" B sneered.

"That is hardly your business," L replied.

"Everything about you is my business," B pointed out.

"Ryuuzaki--" Light began but L shot him such a furious glare that he silenced himself, B though, was laughing wildly.

"_Ryuuzaki_?" he repeated. "You stole my name! Who said that anyway? He's fluent in Japanese; I would not mistake that accent…one of your little proxies perhaps? Did he know that it was a stolen name? Did you miss me or something? I'm so touched."

L felt anger running through him now and he glared at Light again, who was staring at B with a slightly disturbed expression on his face. The guards were looking apprehensive, shooting glances at L but he shook his head forcefully.

"Be silent, B, your excessive banter is not welcomed," L sighed.

B's voice drifted off to quiet chuckles as the ride continued. L could feel the questions in Light's mind but he was relieved the teenager decided against asking them right now. The limo slowed as they neared the city and hit the traffic. B was facing the window, unable to see anything.

"L," he whispered. "I want to see it…"

L frowned. All things considered, B had seen nothing but his prison cell for the last three and a half years. Even if they were allowed outside, it was too far outside the city to even see it smudged against the horizon. He sighed; perhaps appeasing the man would make him more cooperative. He leaned forward, ignoring Light's apprehensive hiss and hooked his fingers under the blindfold, lifting it so it rested on B's forehead.

B blinked a few times and L felt Light tense by his side. It must have been B's face, the top had been covered, but now Light could see just how similar it was to the detective's. The scars marring his features were nothing but faint, white lines, only visible when the sun shone on them directly. L saw Light look curiously at B's eyes, as if recognizing something about their color, but this dawning expression lasted but a second and L could not be sure if it had been there at all. Still, it was something interesting, something to ask him later.

"Keep your gaze outside, B," he warned.

B seemed disinterested in the people in the limo; he was looking at the passing city, at the people, the cars, the hustle and bustle that most people were used to. He was craning his neck to see how tall the buildings were, squinting as the sun reflected off their bright surfaces. He was like a child again, curious about the world he'd been shut out from for so long.

L allowed him to watch until they reached the airport and then he nodded to the guard and the guard flipped the blindfold over his haunting red eyes again. B snarled at him for putting his hand near him and the guard quickly retracted it as if afraid B would bite his fingers off, and…remembering the severity of the break in the warden's nose, L would not put it beyond B to do something like that.

* * *

The guards were leading him towards the plane now and B was going along smoothly until L got out of the car with Light and the chain between them clinked loudly. He paused and tilted his head as if placing the noise. He then lowered his covered gaze to his own feet, to the similar noise made when his feet moved. He smirked to himself and L frowned, knowing that he had just figured something out, but B did not ask, he simply allowed himself to be led onto the plane.

"Mr. Dunn, the guards will give B another sedative before we head out, however, it is a long flight, he will need another half way through it, it will be your job to give it to him," L explained. "Do not worry, he is completely apprehended, so sitting with him will not be an issue."

William paled slightly and only nodded faintly as the guards left the plane. He gulped and headed up the stairs to make himself comfortable in the coach section with the knowledge that he was sharing it with a deranged killer.

"Shall we?" L asked.

Light frowned darkly at him. "You better hope that you have a good explanation for all of this," he glowered as L led the way onto the plane.

They sat down in the first class section and Light stared at him resolutely. L took his time positioning himself on the plane, too worried about everything else than to think about his discomfort while flying. When it was clear that Light was not going to avert his gaze until L spoke, the detective sighed and allowed his dark eyes to focus on Light's face as the plane began to move.

"Understand that while you are still a suspect, I cannot give you all the details," L began.

"But you could give me _something_," Light interrupted.

L frowned at him and Light bit back any further retorts. "B was involved in a case two years ago," he said simply. "I was working on the case. Recently, more murders have happened that were related to the crimes B was committing, I came here to see if he was involved and happened to realize that he could be useful for this case."

"I don't believe that that's it for your past experiences with him," Light said accusingly. "Why such a similar alias?"

L sighed. "That I cannot tell you," he replied.

Light cursed under his breath at the detective's evasiveness and stared out the window sullenly for a while. Finally he took a deep breath, now that his emotions were in check, and turned back to L. L frowned inwardly, he'd been hoping that the discussion had been closed for the time being.

"Can you at least tell me _why_ he might be useful to the Kira Case?" he asked.

L considered answering this, but the problem remained that if he was right about Light being Kira, he would be handing him precious knowledge that would work in Light's favor and he really did not wish to hand Kira any weapons. He could not allow the tides to be turned against him so he simply shook his head. Light glowered at him, but L just ignored him and decided to think about how they would do things when they returned to Japan. B would have to be kept locked up and under constant supervision, William would have to be in charge of bringing the man food and drink, but for the most part he would be left alone. If L needed to speak to him, he could do so through the microphone, but he would have to make sure Light was asleep or leave him to the care of the others for a brief moment because he did not want him involved in any way.

* * *

All was going well until they were halfway there and William came into first class, looking rather frantic and panicky. L sighed, he had higher hopes for this man, but they were quickly being extinguished.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's the prisoner," William complained. "Every time I try and go near him with the sedative he turns very nasty."

"How so?" L sighed.

"The things he says he going to do to me, they freeze me in my tracks," William admitted apologetically.

L blinked, sudden realization hitting him. "William, did you make sure he was absolutely secured when you left him alone?" he demanded.

He could feel Light's eyes watching them intently, and the youth was tense by his side. William blinked and opened and closed his mouth a few times. It was an obvious answer, no. L felt as if a vice were tightening around his heart and he quickly undid the handcuffs and locked the free cuff around the armrest of his chair.

"Wait; don't just leave me in here alone!" Light complained as the detective stood up. L frowned down at him. "You are safer in here," he pointed out and left without another word, ordering William to come with him.

They reached the entrance to the coach section and paused for a moment. "Since it is your fault, you may go first," L said coldly. "I will follow after you."

William looked like he was about to faint as he opened the door and walked into the other section of the plane. L waited a few moments before following after him. He was nervous that if he went directly after William, B would get behind them and either attack them or go after Light who was helpless in his current state. William was heading down the aisle slowly, hands balled into fists and L noticed that his hands were shaking. So much for his bravery, he had seemed so capable at first too.

The older man suddenly stopped and turned to face L with a terrified look on his face. "H-He's not here," he stammered.

L tensed and looked around him for those burning red eyes, but all the seats surrounding him were empty. He had closed the door behind him, so at least he would hear if B was going through it, though he knew that B could strike as quickly as a snake, they would barely make it back in time to save Light if he chose to go after the teenager.

"Hand me the sedative," L ordered.

William nodded and tossed it to him and that's when B struck. A pale hand suddenly darted through the air and snatched the sedative. B had been crouched down in the seats between L and William, no doubt waiting for an opportunity like this. His wrists were still cuffed together, but in the time William had come to complain to L, he had maneuvered his arms so that his hands were no longer behind his back but in front of them, he was able to use them. He was gazing at them both with a smug expression on his face and L knew right then that he had been underestimating B. The shadow's rather calm exterior in the time he'd seen him had been nothing more than a show, brilliantly performed until this moment. Now he was the killer again and for the first time, L felt a tremor of fear at the sight of his ex-successor.

"Clumsy," B whispered. "Now then, who shall be put to sleep, hmmm?"

Red eyes traveled slowly from L's face to William's. L wanted to snap at William, the man was visibly shaking in fright. B's eyes lingered on the other man for a while and William took a step back, away from him. What good was the man if he did not even have the ability to suppress his emotions? B was more turned towards William now, sick pleasure illuminating his face at the man's obvious fear.

"Well, well, well, I just can't decide," B sighed in mock annoyance.

He took a step towards William and the coward moved away. B was chuckling now, a low sound, deep in his throat, more terrifying than any growl of a large predator. In that laugh was certain death and both L and William knew it. There was a reason L hated planes, this was one of them. He could not really formulate an escape when they were above the ocean.

"I should say," B said haughtily. "Everything is going to plan; I really will have to thank the warden at some point."

L's expression blanked. What? What on earth was B talking about? This couldn't have all been planned? He was almost too shocked to notice that William was slowly relaxing and by the time he realized the tremors had ceased in the other man, B was lunging at him. L grunted as the other body slammed painfully into his and suddenly he was on the ground and B was leering over him, the sedative held aloft, needle pointing at L.

"And I should thank William as well, he's a marvelous actor, wouldn't you agree Lawliet?" B asked with a twisted smirk.

"Sorry, Ryuuzaki," William said, though he did not sound sorry in the least. "But I'm being paid well for this."

L just stared at the face above him, confusion in his dark eyes. B laughed and tauntingly ruffled L's hair with his free hand, straddling L just to keep him in place. "You are quite lovely when you're so confused," B whispered. "Did you honestly think that everything was going to happen like you thought it was? I'm disappointed in you, L, I would have thought you'd be aware that I was taking things so submissively. Me, listen to you? Come now, you should have known that was impossible."

Words were escaping L at the moment, but he had to know. "What…are you planning on doing?" he asked, the words forced from his throat.

B tapped the needled against L's neck but L refused to cringe away from it. "Well, it's no fun ending the game so quickly, though it'd be so _easy_ to kill you right now," he gloated. "However, I want to cause you some panic. We're going to Japan, just as you planned, but when we get there, I'm taking off. You can live with the knowledge that I am out there and that I plan to find Kira, and use him for my wishes."

"Your wishes?" L asked, still confused, more desperate to know B's plans than to escape right now. It was clear that B wasn't going to kill him and he'd rather not give him an excuse to harm him in any way.

"Kira would be so useful to me, in getting to you," B sneered. "I know, I know…I have you right now, I could do whatever I wanted to you if I so chose. But you were right back in Arizona, I _hate_ Kira, I want to twist him around my finger so tightly that he breaks. Maybe I'll even give you little clues as to who he is or what he is doing, but I'll never tell you everything you need. By the time I call on you again, you'll be dying to see me."

"You're going to work with Kira?" L demanded coldly.

"No, no, my dear, Kira is going to work for me," B said.

"You'll accomplish nothing, I will not play your games," L growled.

B chuckled again and shook his head. "Oh really? So you won't care when Kira suddenly starts killing innocent masses? You know me better than anyone L, my mind works like yours does; I have no doubt that I can easily manipulate Kira."

L could picture it, and he wished that he could not. He could envision all those innocent people dying at the hands of their 'savior', Kira suddenly turning on them, revealing his true intentions. L would never, ever support Kira, but as it remained, he was a worthy opponent; he was not like the madman above him. He was following morals, what he believed to be justice; it was just that he was wrong. However, a Kira who killed for the pleasure of killing…that was something he could not bear to witness.

"Are you getting it, L?" B asked bitterly. "Too long your attention has been driven towards capturing Kira. I am going to change that, your true focus will be me, as it always should be."

He smirked and stood, grabbing L by the wrists and pulling him to his feet as well. "One wrong move and I shoot you with this," he warned, holding the sedative up. B suddenly nodded to William and the traitor moved closer with the key to the handcuffs. Working with a diligence that L had not expected, William unlocked the handcuffs and replaced them over L's wrists and ankles.

"Shall we move up to first class?" B grinned. "After all, coach is so dull…"

He smirked cruelly and pushed L ahead of him. When they reached the door, B grabbed the handle but paused, leaving him uncomfortably close to the detective. L suppressed a shudder when he felt his shadow's lips upon his ear. "You've no idea," he whispered. "How hard it is for me to hold back right now…do you know how long I've dreamed of having you in my mercy, L? Consider yourself fortunate that I want to play this game, otherwise you'd be in agony right now…screaming for me."

There was nothing L could reply to that with so he simply remained quiet. B laughed softly and opened the door. Light turned around, mouth open to start complaining to L, but when he saw the condition he was in and B freed behind him, the color drained from his face and his mouth just hung open in shock. B looked at him for a while, from his perfect features to the chain keeping him locked to the seat.

"Pretty boy," he said. "Though since I know you wouldn't keep him around for his looks, I can guess he has something to do with Kira…but it's not him, L…he's not Kira."

This information, coupled with everything that happened, was like a tremendous blow to the stomach. All this time, all the certainty that Light had been the one he'd been after, it had been denied in that one instant. In B's positive voice that Light was not Kira. He couldn't believe that Light was part of B's scheme; after all, he had looked disgusted with B from the start. He could see Light's surprised expression, but was that relief in the younger man's eyes? Had he finally found the one clue that would prove his innocence? Had L really been so horribly wrong? How did B know that he wasn't Kira…it must have been that which he'd spoken of before, his connection, his knowledge that L would never know now.

"Come now, L, you're blocking me," B smirked, nudging the detective along.

L stumbled forward, too overwhelmed to say or do anything. He sat down next to Light again but B grinned and grabbed his upper arm, hoisting him forcefully out of the seat. "Oh no, dear, you're sitting next to me," he grinned. "Will can sit next to your little pet."

William scoffed and sat down next to Light who had a look of dark brooding upon his face. L doubted that the teenager would be able to think of anything to free them of this situation. After all, B still held the sedative and even if Light managed to get past William, he would be no match for B. Neither of them were his equal in physical strength and the ferocity in which B would show to defend himself was enough to keep both of them in their seats.

"How many people were in on this?" L asked quietly, feeling sick.

"The entire prison, you've grown dull, L," B mocked. "Did you not hear that I managed to get the news from them? I would have thought that you would realize that those pitiful fools were completely in my control. I even left you another clue; you think that my actions alone would be able to keep some of the other inmates away from me? Hardly, it was the fact that I owned the warden that kept them at bay."

It was clicking into place, and L was only staggered with the fact that he had missed it. All of it, it had all been constructed, nothing that had happened in that prison had been real, it was all a masquerade to protect B, all of this had been planned out. But did that mean…the murders surrounding the area?

"What about the copycat killer?" L asked, feeling a bit breathless.

"Me," B replied simply.

L canted his head in puzzlement and B chuckled. "They let me out, I told them I was feeling a bit tired of being locked away inside, so I told them to let me out and kill people, not to mention I wanted to get my hands on Kira, which meant I would have to have you…this is why you're still alive now, I need you…until we get to Japan, but as I said, I can't resist playing with you a bit before I decide to end your life."

He smirked and leaned in, face but an inch from L's. "You can't imagine how pleased I was to see how arrogant you still are…I may have to break you before your death. You've never been tortured have you? Well, you can add that to your list of things to look forward to once we arrive."

L frowned darkly and regarded B coolly. "I am not so simple to break, B," he said. "You may think that your plan is flawless, but I will find a way to stop you."

B smiled smugly. "I was hoping you would say that," he replied. "It would be boring otherwise."

They heard a strangled yelp from behind them and both looked around to see William standing and rubbing furiously at his forehead, where an angry red welt was forming. B snickered and nibbled his thumb. "What did you do now, lowlife?" he asked harshly.

"Nothing," William snarled, though it was obvious that he was lying.

B shifted red eyes to Light's flushed face. "What did he do to you, boy?" he asked.

"The pervert attempted to touch me," Light said haughtily. "I taught him to think otherwise."

B was obviously impressed by Light's attitude. He stood up and made his way over to the teenager. Light looked up at him defiantly and B could not suppress a laugh. He reached forward and grabbed Light's throat, tightening his grasp painfully until Light was clenching his teeth, eyes watering slightly.

"While we are on this plane, I own you," B whispered. "And since I own this fool, he owns you too and may do whatever he wishes. Should you react in such a way again, I'll pop your pretty little eyes right out of their sockets."

"Leave him alone!" L snapped.

B blinked and released Light, glancing over his shoulder at the detective. He regarded him for a few moments and then anger flashed in his red eyes and he headed back to him, sitting down next to the detective. William chose to sit in the seat in back of Light instead of directly next to him and there was nothing but silence for the next ten minutes or so.

"You'd never…defend me like that," B suddenly growled.

L looked at him in surprise.

"You never cared about me," B continued, a humorless smile on his face. "You never looked twice at me, despite everything I did to gain your attention. How it hurts me now to see you jump so quickly to save such a worthless soul."

"B…" L began.

"Don't speak to me!" B snarled, rounding on L and clapping a hand over L's mouth to silence him. "Don't you dare try and make up an excuse, and don't you dare agree with me," he growled. "I don't want to hear it, you shall not speak unless spoken to until we land, do you understand?"

L narrowed his eyes and refused to agree to such a demand. B's hand tightened around his face, but he did not care. He could deal with this slight pain; the pain that would be inflicted to his pride if he agreed to such a condition would never heal. He was L, he was the world's greatest detective, and it would take so much more to get him to break, to get him to grovel to another. B had another thing coming if he believed that he would see L submit to him so easily.

He seemed to realize this, for he was smirking and he removed his hand but retrieved the sedative again and began tracing the needle along L's neck. The detective suppressed a shiver, but his eyes widened when the needle suddenly sank into his skin and the sedative was pressed into his veins. Instantly he felt his mind going numb and he could not move his limbs no matter how hard he tried. His eyes closed half way and he sat, feeling limp as a doll in his seat while B tossed the now useless needle aside.

"Much better," B murmured. His hand trailed briefly over the detective's cheek. "Seeing you like this, it's almost…arousing. You're so helpless right now. I could do whatever I wanted and you couldn't even fight back."

L groaned, even formulating sentences was difficult in his hazy state of being. He felt himself slumping on his seat, wishing more than ever that he could just sleep, but he couldn't, not with B right next to him like this and several hours of the flight ahead of him.

"Do you know why I can wait?" B suddenly asked, draping an arm around L's shoulder in an almost amiable sort of way. "Why I don't just use you how I desperately long to right now? It's because we've been apart for so long…but now that I know I have the capabilities to deceive you, I know I will be able to see you again, and trapping you for a second time will make the victory all the more sweeter."

He paused, grinning darkly as long fingers began to caress L's neck. "Even though I desperately want to break you…"

L realized what B was getting at. He had tried to deny it for as long as possible because the thought was enough to make him cringe, but it was obvious by the tone of his voice and the way his fingers were playing about his neck exactly what B wanted to do to him. He was suddenly thankful that B had the patience to wait. At least now that L was sure, he could take counter measures and prevent such a thing from ever happening. He would rather die than go through that humiliation.

Even this light caress was making him feel highly uncomfortable. He would shift away from B, but his body was so heavy, and he knew B's personality. If he showed resistance, it would only goad the other on. This he could deal with, if B persisted in doing anything more, well, than L may have a problem keeping so still and quiet. However, he was annoyed that the other refused to move his arm, instead leaving it around L's thin shoulders.

"You know…I've never been to Japan," B mused about an hour later, when the flight was finally drawing to a close. "I bet I will like it there."

L chose to not even come up with an answer for him. He was still heavily sedated and even thinking was proving troublesome. It was frustrating; he wanted to think of a plan right away to capture B. That was probably why the madman had decided to pump him full of the stuff, so that he literally could not do anything against him until B had already melted into shadows once again. B seemed to sense his inability to even think and he cackled ruthlessly, leaning in again so that his face was close. He took his hand and grabbed L's chin, forcing the detective to look at him.

"Take a close look," B whispered. "A close look at the _thing_ you created. If it hadn't been for you, this would not have happened. If it hadn't been for you there would be no B."

His face twisted in sudden agony and L blinked slowly as B seemed to be wrought with an internal struggle. He released his hold on L and clenched at his hair, pulling it roughly and making it stand on end as he brought his knees to his chest. L could only watch, fascinated, as his captor tried to pull into himself.

"Who am I? What am I?" B was muttering. "If there is no L there is no B, if I stripped this all away, what would remain?"

L had figured that the oppression of being the world's greatest detective would lead to cracks such as these. To an already unbalanced mind, the added pressure of what he was called to do must have splintered even the farthest reaches of his mind, burying into his unconscious, surfacing only in moments of sudden revelation such as this. Seeing L like this, it must have made such thoughts all the more potent, and L could not answer B's questions. The man had spent so much of his time trying to be him that he had lost his own identity a long time ago. If he stripped away the part of him that was L, he would be nothing but a monster, a murderer.

B's eyes were opened wide, unblinking as he covered his ears with his hands, as if hoping to trap the thoughts within his head and keep them from his quivering lips. L would rather the man get a hold of himself. He was not keen of the thought of being helpless next to him if he should snap completely. A few moments passed like this and suddenly B's hand plunged into his pocket and he brought out a small bottle of pills. He looked at it scathingly before opening it and popping two into his mouth. So then, there was a remedy for these moments…but how many of those pills did B have? How many could he get? And what would happen when he ran out for good?

He closed his eyes for a few minutes and when he opened them again, L could see that he had regained all of his composure. He glanced at L and only smirked at him, as if daring him to ask what had happened, clearly hoping to deny answering the question, so L decided not to ask. He did not need to. He was perfectly aware of what had just happened after all, and since it came as no surprise, he would let the matter drop and let B feel disappointment.

* * *

The plane was finally starting to descend and L could not be more impatient for it to land. The sedative was wearing off, though he knew it would still be effecting his system when they landed, added with the feeling of jet lag…well, the detective knew that he really had less of a hope of detaining B upon landing than he would have liked. There had been no sounds from the back and when he finally glanced over his shoulder, he saw that William was napping and Light…Light was staring at him intently. He blinked and tilted his head slightly, but Light only shook his, indicating B, who was enjoying a jar a jam, the sticky substance was all over his fingers and staining his shirt and lips. Clearly, Light did not want to discuss anything while in the man's presence.

When they landed, B stretched languidly and walked over to William, smacking him none-too-gently in the back of the head to wake him up. The blonde-haired man frowned and rubbed at the spot but got up without complaint and followed B towards the door. The door opened and the stairway had already been positioned for them all. B grinned at Light and L.

"And now the games begin," he said. "L, I shall see you soon, I can't wait…we'll have so much more…fun next time."

He licked his lips before heading out of the plane with William following him obediently. As soon as they were gone, Light stood, but his hand was still cuffed to the arm rest. "Ryuuzaki, toss me the key," he said. L could tell by his voice that Light was holding back a lot of resentment and anger, though whether it was for the two who had just departed or himself, he could not be sure. He groaned, forcing his lethargic muscles into action and digging in his pocket for the key before tossing it to the teenager. Light unlocked himself and then headed over to L.

"Can you walk?" Light demanded.

"Give me a moment," L replied.

"We don't have a damn moment, we have to act now!" Light shouted. He reached forward and ignoring L's protests, he heaved the detective across his shoulders and bodily carried him out of the plane.

"Light-kun, put me down, I can walk!" L snapped. This was the last thing he needed. After all of this he could not suffer through being carried. But Light was ignoring him. L wished he knew what was going through the youth's mind right now. He must have felt conflicted. On the one hand, he had warned L about how dangerous this was, and now a murderer was on the loose, one that he only knew the slightest potential of. If he was aware of what B was truly capable of, he'd feel worse. On the other hand, it was because of B that Light had been proven innocent, if L was to believe B's words. If L had never gone to Arizona with Light in tow, then they would have never met and Light would still be right where he had been from the beginning, the top suspect.

"You should call Watari," Light said quietly, finally setting the detective down.

L did not want to let Watari know about his mistake. He felt like a complete and utter fool. How could he have taken B so lightly? Now he would have to atone for his mistake and just hope that B never found Kira. The man had been right though, L had to focus on him first and Kira second, once more his plan was working. It made L's blood boil and he punched in the numbers on his phone as best he could, cursing B for not leaving the key to the handcuffs behind in the very least.

"_Yes?"_

"Watari, we've a serious problem, one I'd rather not discuss on the phone," L replied. "I need you to pick Light-kun and myself up immediately…and bring something to open handcuffs."

Watari complied without question and promised to arrive within ten minutes time. This left L alone with Light, who still had a completely unreadable expression on his face. L watched him expectantly in the most subtle manner he could manage, but Light's continual silence was beginning to irk him greatly.

"Say something," L finally demanded.

"Would you like me to berate you for being an idiot or should that wait?" Light retorted.

L frowned darkly.

"I'll take that as a 'wait'," Light said simply.

"We all make mistakes," L growled.

"Yeah, well most mistakes can go unnoted. When the world's top three detectives make a mistake, one that involves putting thousands of innocent people at risk, it can't really be forgiven as easily," Light snapped.

"What would you have me do?" L demanded.

Light finally looked at him, amber eyes smoldering with suppressed rage. "Well, you'll have to take time out from looking for Kira and find your number one fan. Tell me; is everything about you a lie? How do I know you're not the fake and he's the original?"

"Now you are just being unreasonable," L said coldly.

"You sure? You took the name 'Ryuuzaki' from him, how would I know whether you took his appearance as well?" Light asked.

"Do not be foolish," L said quietly. "L came first, B was supposed to be backup."

"For what?"

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself, I cannot give you that information," L evaded.

Silence and then Light's fist was colliding painfully with his jaw. L staggered and because his ankles were still compromised by the chain, he fell backwards and landed roughly on the ground. He glared up at Light angrily, but the teenager kept his distance, glaring right back.

"Don't fuck with me!" he shouted. "That guy said I wasn't Kira! I don't know how he would know, but how many times are you going to have to hear it before you accept it? You were wrong L! You were wrong about me being Kira, you were wrong about going to Arizona, you were wrong about B helping us! You've been wrong all along! Why don't you do something _right_ for a change and tell me what the hell is going on?"

It took all of L's self control not to start shouting back. He never shouted, had never felt the need to, but Light was doing a marvelous job of testing his limits. He hated being wrong and to hear someone accuse him of being wrong so much, it was infuriating. And the worse part was, his accusations were justified.

But what if his recent theory had been correct and the powers of Kira _could_ be passed from one to the other? What if after he revealed everything, Light went back to being Kira? He would be armed with information that would put L at a huge disadvantage. Even if L was killed, he had his successors, but if Kira knew about them, he would do everything in his power to attack them before they were ready. L was confident that the two, Near and Mello, would be able to handle themselves, but they were still so young, they could not be relied upon yet.

And yet Light was glaring at him with such ferocity that if L denied him, he would probably lose Light forever. The teenager would put such distance between themselves that L would never learn anything from him again and that would be more detrimental than anything. There was still this feeling, in the back of his mind, that Light was Kira, or _had been_ Kira and he was determined to figure out what this connection was because he knew it would lead to Kira.

Fortunately, he'd always been a good liar. "B was brought in when I was still young, too young to handle all the cases being presented to me. Therefore, he was my backup, when I was too exhausted or overwhelmed to handle a case, B would take it for me. But he grew dissatisfied. He wanted to become me, become better, as you no doubt saw from his appearance, he took this desire very seriously. However, he could not defeat me at what I did, so he set out to do the opposite. He became a murderer, a criminal, an anti-L if you will. However, his efforts were thwarted and he's been in prison ever since…until now," L explained. It wasn't completely a lie, though a lot had been left out, but that was information Light did not need to know.

The youth pondered this for a moment and then sighed. "I don't understand how he's connected with Kira," he admitted, putting his anger aside for the moment.

"Truthfully, I am mystified by their connection as well," he replied. "He mentioned something about being more similar to the Second Kira."

"Second Kira…" Light trailed off, there was that dawning look in his eyes, but it seemed as if the thought passed too quickly for Light to notice it himself, leaving L even more curious as to what was really going on.

"We have two options, Light-kun. Either we track down B or we find Kira. Whatever happens, we cannot allow the two of them to meet," L said after a long moment of silence.

"Agreed," Light said.

They heard a car drawing close to them and Watari pulled to a stop. He stepped out of the car and took one look at the pair, to Light standing there with one handcuff clapped firmly about his wrist while the other dangled at his side, to L, sitting on the ground with his wrists and ankles firmly bound. He blinked a few times and hurried over to L with a pair of heavy pliers that looked too big for his wrinkled hands to manage. But he managed to twist the metal apart, releasing L's arms and legs.

"What happened?" Watari asked.

"B," L replied simply.

Watari pursed his lips into a thin line and nodded in understanding. L was relieved that the man could piece things together so easily, he did not think he was capable of revealing the events on the plane, not yet anyway, not when the failure was still so fresh in his mind. He shook himself mentally. A failure for now, but he was confident that he would be the one pulling the strings. He would find B and Kira, maybe one would lead to the other. He could still use this, he would use this because L refused to be made a fool of and any who dared to put him in this situation would find themselves playing to his game before long.

* * *

The ride back was painfully quiet. Watari had said nothing while he was driving and Light seemed to be keeping silent because it seemed that if he spoke he would lose control and start shouting at L again. L was grateful for the silence, he was trying to think of his first move. He could either continue following the trail to Kira or he could focus on B. He would probably be able to find B first, only because the ties connecting him to B were more personal and it was likely that he would make a move before Kira. Unless he was going to be cautious and wait until after he had met with Kira…no, L wouldn't allow that to happen. He was sure that Light was still Kira, perhaps B had learned of L's suspicions about Light and had simply told him he wasn't Kira to throw him off. But no, that was impossible.

When they reached the investigative headquarters it was to find it empty. It was far later than they had thought and the others must have returned to their homes by now. L told Watari that he would fill him in shortly, but that he had to speak to Light beforehand. They retired to their private rooms, Light still had said not a word and when the door was closed, he practically dragged L over to the chairs and sat himself down. He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes, looking at L, obviously expecting him to start talking, but L just resumed his normal perch and went back to thinking about how he was going to solve this problem.

"Well?" Light demanded.

"Hmm?"

"What do you mean 'hmm'?" Light snarled. "Who is B, really? Why did you go and see him? You could have waited until after you caught Kira but now we have him running around and I can tell by your expression that if he meets up with Kira we're going to see the world thrown into chaos."

"Light-kun…"

"Stop sounding so calm, you created this mess!" Light shouted, as if hearing L lose his composure would justify what had happened.

"I am aware that this was my fault, Light-kun," L replied, remaining stoic as always. "However, panicking is exactly what B would want. We must remain patient and calm and work through this. We will go after B first. He knows about Kira but Kira does not know about B."

"Yet," Light grumbled.

L gave him a flat stare and Light just continued to frown at him. L sighed and looked away from him. "What do you want from me, Light-kun? Would you like for me to wallow in pity, perhaps you would like for me to shout and lose my head, berate myself endlessly for this mistake? Well?"

"It might make me feel better," Light muttered. "But I know not to waste time with such trivial matters. I'm just…angry and confused right now, Ryuuzaki," he paused and frowned. "I don't like calling you that anymore, I just think about him. There was something about that man…something in his eyes. He's completely mad; he's barely holding himself together."

Once again L was struck by the skills Light possessed. He was magnificent at psychological profiling. Then again, taking one look at B would tell anyone that he was unstable, especially seeing the two of them together. It was a pity that such a brilliant mind had been twisted beyond repair. He brought himself back to the present, to where Light was still mumbling to himself.

"…familiar, but I can't remember," he was saying.

"What is familiar?" L asked.

"I just said I can't remember," Light frowned. "It was when I saw him…something about him. His eyes…why were his eyes so familiar, and yet so far from my mind, I cannot picture where I've seen such eyes before. Like a nightmare, a far off dream."

L was just staring at him. The eyes. Light's rambling into his own unreachable memories just raised L's suspicions of him. B had mentioned being like the Second Kira, could it be something to do with Kira's eyes? He had to obtain the secret to Kira's powers, and to find that he would either have to capture Kira or find B and somehow get his doppelganger to tell him.

"Why are you staring at me?"

L blinked. "I apologize; I had not noted that I was."

"You still think I'm Kira," Light's tone was accusatory.

"And what do you think of that?" L asked, not expecting an answer. He was in no mood to get into one of these arguments at the moment.

"I think that you're wrong. I'm not Kira," Light said. He was quiet for a moment and a far off look overcame his expression. "Not now…"

"Not…now?" L asked.

Light shook his head. "I don't want to talk about this right now," he said with a frown.

L sighed, he half expected Light to tell him something of importance. Well, L supposed he would have to get used to disappointments.


End file.
